Tim Swarens: Focus on education reform, not governor's comments

So let's concede that Mitch Daniels went too far in accusing teachers of "illegal . . . use of public resources" in helping block Tony Bennett's re-election to Indiana's top education post. Daniels and his allies obviously suspect that the teachers union and its members leveraged their access to parents to improperly push a political agenda, but suspicion alone isn't sufficient grounds for a governor to make such broad allegations.

Still, hyperbole happens.

Barack Obama, after all, painted millions of Americans in the Midwest as clinging bitterly to guns, religion or "antipathy to people who are not like them." Andre Carson accused a major political movement of racist, murderous intent. Apologists on the left didn't pause long enough to take a breath before racing to their defense.

Daniels' transgression is milquetoast mild in that context.

Yet to spend time arguing about the accuracy and appropriateness of the governor's words is to miss a much more important point: Indiana can't afford to slow down in turning more of our public schools from bastions of mediocrity to centers of excellence.

Don't believe that? Then consider the fact that Indiana is a mere 40th in the nation in the education level of our workforce. Consider that business executives in our state frequently complain that they struggle to find workers with the skills needed to thrive in a modern work environment. Consider that university presidents in Indiana have noted for years that they see far too many high school graduates who lack the academic skills and discipline needed to succeed in college. Consider that Indiana's fast-growing community college network, although a much-needed and belated addition to our educational array, spends considerable time and money helping students attain skills they should have acquired in high school.

I've seen the problems that plague many public schools on a personal level as well. As the parent of four now-adult children who attended schools in our city, I watched as the highs and lows of our education system played out over the course of more than a decade.

My children encountered several great teachers along the way. But we also ran into more than a few teachers who didn't belong in a classroom. There were teachers who were burned out and just putting in time until retirement. There were teachers who were overmatched by the enormous challenges of effectively leading groups of not always attentive or well-behaved children day after day. There also were administrative rules that put the school district's needs ahead of students'. One year, for instance, my son and his fellow middle school students were told to clean out their lockers and turn in their books nearly a month before the school year ended so that administrators could be sure all materials were accounted for ahead of the summer break.

On a broader level, Indiana's education establishment was content for years to sell Hoosiers on the fiction that 90 percent of our students graduated from high school on time. In truth, until a few years ago, the graduation rate was closer to 70 percent statewide and below 40 percent in Indianapolis Public Schools. Thankfully, we appear to have made significant progress on that front as a state and city. But such progress required a willingness to face reality, to set higher standards, and to change the learning environment in many schools and classrooms.

Tony Bennett's -- and by extension Mitch Daniels' -- critics insist they are not fighting to preserve the status quo. The real problem, they say, has been with how Bennett approached education reform.

That's fine. Bennett's approach -- for that matter, no approach or system -- is sacrosanct. What matters most are results.

If Glenda Ritz as Bennett's successor can deliver measurable results in classrooms, then I and most other advocates of education reform will become her biggest fans.

But, so far, when I and others ask, Ritz and her supporters have been frustratingly vague on how they will deliver better results, other than reverse course from the past four years.

That, not a few poorly chosen words from the governor, is what we should focus on when it comes to education in Indiana.

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Tim Swarens: Focus on education reform, not governor's comments

So let's concede that Mitch Daniels went too far in accusing teachers of 'illegal . . . use of public resources' in helping block Tony Bennett's re-election to Indiana's top education post. Daniels